As with all the best early videogames, Final Fantasy is bursting at the seams with ambition. While its NES counterpart is understandably clunkier and less of a looker, it’s amazing how much Sakaguchi and co. nailed on their first entry.

Surprisingly there are no Chocobos, no bombs, no Malboros. Many of the series aesthetic staples have yet to be introduced, but the bones are there. Combat is engaging enough, exploration even more so.

Naming my party was a treat. I opted to use names of other FF protagonists, as this series tends to be like poetry (it rhymes). I went with the names Auron, Cid, Rinoa, and Vivi.

Final Fantasy is comparatively stripped-back and has some old-school design sensibilities and almost no story, but it’s still a landmark title (and an excellent remaster). I can only imagine being a child at the time of its release and embarking on an imaginary adventure to kill Chaos, but I tried to get into that mindset and found myself really enjoying the journey.

Plus, this is the first game I’ve beaten since my son was born. It’ll always be that to me.